The residential building was constructed in 1902–1904 by D. Orlov, the owner of the plot and a building contractor. The design was based on a project developed by architectural academician R. Marfeld. The house is associated with many prominent figures of Ukrainian culture — at different times, it was home to artists F. Krasytskyi and I. Makushenko, sculptor F. Balavenskyi, historian S. Holubiev, and painter H. K. Dyachenko.

The plot on which the building stands has a steep slope and adjoins Uzdykhalnytsia Hill. The house is brick-built, five storeys high with a basement, and has an almost rectangular plan. Its architecture is executed in stylized Gothic forms, imitating a medieval castle, which gave rise to its romantic name — “Richard the Lionheart’s Castle.”

Despite partial reconstructions in the 1980s–1990s, the monument has largely preserved its original appearance and stylistic features and remains one of the most remarkable examples of early 20th-century residential architecture in Kyiv.